


I'll Live Like a Man or I'll Die Like a King

by tiniestmite



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Hurt Carlos Reyes, Hurt TK Strand, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sickfic, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:47:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 4,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25261804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiniestmite/pseuds/tiniestmite
Summary: Collection of drabbles, prompted fromthis post(Denying Injury/Illness)
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 71
Kudos: 159





	1. "Blood? Oh, it's not mine"

**Author's Note:**

> All of the prompts on the Tumblr list were claimed! Thank you to everyone who sent in a request. Prompts are now CLOSED  
> Title from "Late July" by Shakey Graves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "“blood? oh, it’s not mine” but it really is 😘💕" - sent in by terramous

When Carlos was called to the scene of a building collapse downtown, he figured it would be rough. However, nothing could have prepared him for the chaos that was unfolding before him as he pulled up to the site.

Hopping out of his squad car, he notices one of the fire departments responding was the 126. He scans the area, hoping for a glimpse of TK to make sure he’s doing okay.

He spots him climbing out of the building with a woman’s arm slung around his shoulder, making their way over to the triage area. Underneath his dust covered face, Carlos can tell TK’s face is paler than usual. He’s clearly out of breath too. But the most alarming thing Carlos notices is a growing spot of blood seeping through TK’s shirt on his torso, under his turnout coat.

Jogging over to meet TK before he can climb back into the rubble, Carlos stops him.

“Hey, hey, are you good?” He asks, lightly grabbing his arm.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” TK answers breathlessly. “Are you good?”

“No, I mean, you’re bleeding.”

“Blood?” TK looks down. “Oh, it’s not mine. I have to go, there’s still too many people trapped.”

Carlos furrows his brow. While he admires his boyfriends bravery, his consistent need to help people, even if it means neglecting his own well-being is enough to make Carlos worry.

“Why don’t we get you checked out? Just to be safe.” Carlos says.

TK breaks from Carlos’ grasp. “No, I really have to go.”

He starts to walk back over to the collapse but Carlos doesn’t take his eyes off of him. And when he starts to sway, Carlos doesn’t miss a beat, running over to catch him before he hits the ground.

“Not your blood, huh? Let’s get you over to Michelle.”

When they reach Michelle and pull TK’s shirt off, it’s revealed that his shirt must have snagged on part of the wreckage causing a small but deep cut on his lower right torso.

TK gives him a sheepish smile and Carlos just shakes his head.


	2. "It's just a cold" & "A nap'll do me wonders"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ""it's just a cold"/"a nap'll do me wonders" with Tarlos" - sent in by anon

Softly knocking on the door of the Strand residence, Carlos takes a deep breath. TK had told him that the elder Strand was out for the night with his girlfriend and had asked Carlos if he wanted to come over.

Carlos’s heart never fails to skip a beat anytime TK asks him to hang out. However, tonight he had plans to down a bottle of Nyquil and sleep until he no longer felt like he was run over by a truck. He didn’t have it in him to tell TK that he wasn’t feeling well though. So instead, he took two Advil and responded that he would be over in 15 minutes.

“Hey,” TK greets him and wastes no time pulling him into a passionate kiss, which Carlos returns.

TK just as quickly breaks away from the kiss with a concerned face.

“Your lips are warm,” he says, while pressing his cool hand against Carlos’ forehead. “Carlos, you’re burning up!”

Carlos just shrugs. “It’s just a cold.”

“You didn’t have to come over if you weren’t feeling well.”

“It’s fine, I wanted to see you.”

TK frowns. “Have you taken your temperature yet? Have you eaten anything today? I could make you some soup…”

“TK,” Carlos cuts him off. “Why don’t we just go up to your room?”

“Carlos, I don’t think…”

“No, I mean we can just lay down and cuddle tonight. Honestly, a nap’ll do me wonders”

“Okay, yeah we can do that then.” TK smiles and grabs his hand, leading him up to the bedroom.


	3. "I'm just a little sore"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ""I'm just a little sore"- Tarlos (Maybe one of them gets hurt at work but instead of taking care of it they kinda shake it off??)" - sent in by anon

“Where is he?” Carlos asks, as he enters the firehouse. He tries to keep his tone firm but the worry in his voice clearly slips through.

Paul and Mateo who are polishing the firetruck just look at each other. They clearly know why Carlos is here, but are not sure how to respond to his bubbling anger. Paul eventually gives him a tilt of the head towards the upper level of the firehouse and Carlos takes off towards the stairs.

“TK!” he shouts, wanting his boyfriend to be aware of his presence.

He spots TK, slowly exiting the locker room with a startled look on his face.

“Carlos, you didn’t have to come. I’m fine.” He tries to reassure with a smile.

Carlos doesn’t buy it though. “TK, you can’t just jump out of a window and be fine.”

In fact, according to Michelle, TK didn’t just jump out of a window; he ignored direct orders to evacuate the burning building after they were unable to ventilate the roof properly, and dived out the window at the last second when the building exploded.

“I’m just a little sore, okay? Michelle looked me over. No broken bones, or anything.”

“Didn’t Michelle also recommend you taking the rest of the shift off? Yet you’re still in uniform.”

TK looks down and doesn’t say anything.

“Come on, tiger. Go get changed, and let me take you home.”


	4. "Psh, you worry too much"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "how about "Psss, you worry too much?" carlos saying that to tk?" - sent in by glitch-ditch-canonbitch

Carlos Reyes was going to be the death of TK Strand. Everyone is always saying that he is the danger magnet yet Carlos seems to be just as prone to getting hurt as he is.

And now, watching his boyfriend get patched up in the back of the ambulance after getting grazed by a bullet, TK can already feel the grey hairs sprouting on his head.

Carlos hasn’t said anything since it happened. Silently, he lets Michelle apply the bandage to his torso and nods when she tells him to take it easy for the next few days.

After she walks away, Carlos sighs and finally addresses TK. “Can you stop looking at me like that?”

“Like what? Like someone who just watched their boyfriend get shot?”

“I didn’t get shot. The bullet barely hit me.”

“But it did hit you, correct?”

“Psh, you worry too much,” Carlos scoffs.

TK sighs and takes a seat next to him on the back of the ambulance. “I only worry because I care about you so much and I hate seeing you hurt.”

“I know,” Carlos replies, resting his head on TK’s shoulder. “But I’m okay, really.”

TK smiles and wraps his arms around Carlos, holding him close.


	5. "It's not that bad"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ""It's just a scratch" or "it's not that bad" if you're stilling doing these because I'm only about a day late" sent in by brilliantbanshee

Carlos used to get excited when he would respond to the same call as TK. Getting to see his boyfriend in his element, thriving on the adrenaline from saving peoples lives.

Now that they’ve been together for almost a year, that bubbly feeling he once had has been replaced with fear and worry. He’s witnessed one too many close calls watching TK run headfirst into danger.

On scene today was no different. Especially since he heard a loud crash come from inside the ablaze home that TK was still inside of.

Standing next to Captain Strand, he hears elder Strand’s radio crackle to life with the sound of Judd’s voice saying he and TK are on their way out.

Carlos breathes out a sigh of relief. His consolation is short-lived though, as he spots the pair emerging from the home with Judd practically carrying TK, his arm slung around the larger man's frame. Judd is also carrying TK’s helmet, instead of it being on his head where it should be. With no helmet on his head, Carlos can clearly see the mix of soot and blood covering TK’s face.

Carlos can’t stop himself from running over to the pair and taking Judd’s spot supporting TK’s weight, and guides him over to the ambulance.

Once they arrive, Michelle slides an oxygen mask over his mouth and begins to examine his head wound.

Carlos knows he should say something to his boyfriend. His recklessness is going to get him seriously hurt one day. Yet TK doesn’t seem at all phased by it.

“Your boy here seems to have a pretty nasty head wound,” Michelle says.

“It’s not that bad,” TK says, pulling the oxygen mask down so he can address Carlos. “You know that head wounds always bleed more. You don’t have to look so worried.”

Michelle wastes no time pushing the mask back up to cover TK’s mouth. “Don’t listen to him, Carlos. You can and should be worried.”

Granted, Carlos didn’t need his best friend telling him that but it’s a nice reminder that he isn’t alone in his frustration over TK’s gravitation towards danger. And when TK groans every time Carlos periodically checks on him over the next 24 hours for concussion symptoms, he is sure to remind his boyfriend that if he wasn’t so reckless on calls, he wouldn’t have to deal with this.


	6. "It's just a scratch"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Have you done "It's just a scratch?" Because how about that when it's very visible that it is a lot worse than a scratch" - sent in by prodigalleverage

It feels like forever since TK and Carlos actually had a date night. With their busy schedules, it was hard for them to find a night that lined up anyway. But for the past few weeks, Carlos has been working a case extra hard and has barely had any time for himself, let alone one that also works for TK.

Carlos feels terrible that it's his fault he and TK are unable to see each other for long. But of course his boyfriend has been more than understanding.

And now that the case is wrapping up, the pair is ready to celebrate. They decide on staying in and cooking dinner for themselves so they can actually talk and catch up.

Cooking dinner for themselves is a stretch. More like Carlos is doing the cooking and TK just does whatever job Carlos tells him to do.

Currently, TK is getting the water ready to boil while Carlos slices the carrots. He’s so lost in thought that he hardly realizes when he misses a beat of the mechanical up and down of the knife, and the blade slips out of his hand.

The first thing that registers is a stinging pain spreading across his left hand.

“Shit,” he curses under his breath, grabbing a towel from the counter.

TK looks up at him alarmed. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, it’s just a scratch.”

“Carlos, you’re bleeding through the towel. Let me see.”

Carlos reluctantly holds his hand out and winces as TK unwraps the blood soaked towel.

“That’s really deep, baby. I think we should take you to the hospital.”

Carlos wants to argue but the blinding pain that is pulsing from his hand, all the way up his arm now is enough to tell him that his boyfriend is correct.

“Okay,” he resigns.

TK gives him a small, reassuring smile and wraps the towel back around his hand before leading him out the door.


	7. "I'll walk it off""

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "- “I’ll walk it off.”" - sent in by certainentropy

One of the benefits of Carlos and TK both being first responders, besides the fact they both understand the craziness of the hours, is that they also both prioritize staying in shape. And recently, they’ve been looking at their schedules and planning times when they can work out or go on runs together.

Today they both happened to have a free afternoon and it was a nice day so TK suggested they meet up in the park and go for a run.

Carlos always enjoyed going for a run with his boyfriend. He always found running alone to be boring and lonely. But with TK there to keep him company and push him harder, the experience was much more fun. Not to mention, seeing TK all hot and sweaty is always enough to make Carlos’ mouth dry.

They are just turning a corner in the final stretch of their run when Carlos notices that TK was no longer next to him but has now collapsed on the ground. He sits up, pain clearly laced across his face.

Carlos backtracks to crouch down next to him. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“My knee gave out but I’ll walk it off. Can you help me up?”

Carlos eyes him suspiciously but extends his hand and pulls him up. He tries to support some of TK’s weight but he just shakes him off.

“No, no, I’m fine.”

“TK, you’re limping. Just let me help you and we can go sit on that bench over there.”

TK bites his lip and nods, allowing Carlos to wrap his arm around him and guide him a few feet over to the bench.

They sit down and Carlos pulls up TK’s knee to look at it. “It’s starting to swell. Looks like a sprain to me. Why don’t I call your dad to pick us up.”

“Carlos, I’m fine. I can just-” TK starts to protest but Carlos shakes his head, phone already pressed to his ear.


	8. “It’s just a little warm in here”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “please ma’am “it’s just a little warm in here” 🥺👉👈“ - sent in by terramous

TK isn’t sure why he woke up at first. He was in a deep sleep, but something pulled him out of it.

When he rolls over to check on the man lying next to him and he finds Carlos’ side to be empty with the covers pushed back. That’s when he hears the retching sounds coming from the bathroom adjacent to their bedroom.

Without hesitation, TK pushes himself out of bed and pads his way over to the bathroom. He softly knocks on the door but doesn’t wait for an answer. 

The sight of Carlos hunched over the toilet dry heaving is enough to make TK’s heart hurt. He knew the other man hadn’t been feeling well all day but he seems to have gotten progressively worse in the time since they went to bed.

“Hey baby, what can I do to help you?” TK says, crouching down next to him. 

Carlos opens his mouth to answer but ends up moving his head back towards the toilet, getting sick again. 

TK starts to rub circles on Carlos’ back. Something he learned brought comfort to his dad after a particularly rough day of chemo. 

“Carlos, your back is drenched in sweat.” TK can’t help but point out.

Carlos looks up at him but shrugs him off “It’s just a little warm in here.” 

“But you’re shaking.”

“I am?”

Many alarms start going off in TK’s head, telling him that this is more than just a regular stomach bug. He tries to remain calm though, for the sake of his boyfriend and for his own sanity.

“Does anywhere hurt?” he asks, trying get some more information out of Carlos before the next round of vomiting washes over him.

“My side,” Carlos winces.

TK tries to not roll his eyes at the fact that only his boyfriend would be stubborn enough to push off his illness as ‘just another stomach bug’ when it’s clear that it’s probably his appendix.

“Carlos, we need to go to the hospital. Can I help you up?”

Carlos nods, and TK pulls him up, taking on most of his weight before heading out the door.


	9. “It’s just a headache” & “I think it’s the weather change”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “For “I’ll Live Like A Man or I’ll Die Like A King”...would you please write something with “It’s just a headache” and/or “I think it’s the weather change”? For either Carlos or TK. I’ve loved all the ones you’ve written so far!“ - sent in by anon

“Dad, really, I’m fine,” TK tries to assure his concerned father. “It’s just a headache.”

Owen does not look convinced though. It’s true, TK has felt terrible since he woke up this morning. Though what started out as a dull headache that was easy to cover up had evolved into an intense pain that radiated throughout his body. After just one call, it was clear to everyone on the team that TK should have just called out of his shift today.

Returning from their most recent call, the exhaustion was clear on his face and now his dad was forcing him to retire to the bunkroom while he called Carlos to pick him up.

“TK, you need to take care of yourself,” Owen insists.

Not having any energy left to argue, TK resigns and retreats to his bed in the upper level of the firehouse.

He doesn’t think he’s that tired but he must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knows, he wakes up to the touch of a soft hand caressing his face.

“Hey tiger,” Carlos says, sitting next to him on the bed. Instead of his normal silky smooth voice though, the other man must be congested because his voice sounds much more gruff. In addition, TK notices how puffy the other man’s eyes are.

“Are you sick?” TK asks, shifting up in bed so that he’s leaning on his elbow, looking up at Carlos.

“What? No, I’m here to pick you up because your dad said you were sick.”

“No, you’re definitely sick. Your eyes are all puffy and you sound very congested.”

“I think it’s the weather change.”

“Yeah okay, sure,” TK says, amused. “You look just as bad as I do.”

Carlos sighs in defeat. His deep sigh causes him to go right into a coughing fit though.

“Why don’t you lay down?” TK suggests, lightly patting his back. “I’ll go get you something to help with that cough.”

“I think you both need to lay down,” Owen says, entering the bunkroom before TK can get up.

“Captain Strand, I really don’t want to impose. Let me take TK home and we can both get out of your hair.”

“If you think either of you are going anywhere,” Michelle says, entering behind Owen. “Knowing you both, you will go home and spend more time fussing over the other instead of actually taking care of yourselves. You guys are staying right here where we can keep an eye on you.”

TK pouts, but he knows Michelle is right. “Lay down with me then?” he says, turning to Carlos.

Carlos blushes at TK’s sudden clinginess and shifts from his sitting position so he’s laying down next to TK, wrapping his arms around the smaller man.


	10. “I’m good, I promise” (“It’s just a little warm in here” part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “ Would you ever consider continuing or adding on to the "It's just a little warm in here" prompt? It's really well written and has me wanting more. You've done an amazing job and I absolutely adore your writing.“ - sent in by anon  
> also requested by terramous with the prompt “I’m good, I promise”

“TK, I’m good. I promise.”

“If you weren’t currently laying in a hospital bed, still fresh out of surgery, I may be inclined to believe you.”

Carlos flashes him a sheepish grin but TK doesn’t flinch. He wonders how long Carlos was in pain before it got to the point it was bad enough where he couldn’t cover it up anymore.

By the time they arrived in the emergency room, Carlos’ appendix had already burst. The doctors wasted no time rushing him right back to surgery, leaving TK alone to process what all just happened.

“I have to admit, I really don’t appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night only to find you nearly passed out on the bathroom floor.” TK says, trying to maintain his calm composure but the emotion in his voice threatens to slip through.

The image of Carlos hunched over the toilet, sweat dripping down his pale face has not stopped playing in his head. The way he had to practically carry Carlos’ limp body out to the car. He can still feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins as he tried not to speed to the hospital, but pushing the limit as Carlos’ state worsened.

“I know, I’m sorry you had to see that.” Carlos says, looking down.

TK bites his lip, trying to figure out how he can make Carlos understand how scary the situation was for him, without making it all about him. He knows Carlos feels bad, TK isn’t sure if he realizes that this could have been prevented if he had just spoken up sooner.

“When did you first notice something was wrong?”

Carlos pulls his gaze up, meeting TK’s eyes. Those big brown eyes that TK fell in love with, now filled with sadness and guilt.

“A few days ago,” he answers meekly.

TK sighs. “Carlos…”

“I just thought it was normal stomach pains at first,” Carlos says defensively before TK can launch into his lecture. “By the time I realized it was more than that…”

“Hey,” TK cuts him off. He moves from his spot leaning against the wall and sits on the bed next to Carlos and grabs his hand. “I’m not mad, okay? I was just so worried about you. I want you to know you can come to me when you’re in pain.”

Carlos silently nods.

TK offers him a small smile and squeezes his hand. Carlos may be stubborn when it comes to pain, but with the reassurance that he knows he can come to him, TK can relax just a little.


	11. “Nah, I’m fine”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ““nah, i’m fine” for some hurt tk please 😔“ - sent in by terramous

TK loves waking up next to Carlos. With the other man softly breathing down his neck, and a small pool of drool forming in the corner of his mouth; It’s truly the cutest thing he’s ever seen.

He wishes they could stay like this all day, with their limbs tangled together as they try to get as close as possible to each other.

Unfortunately, TK has a shift this afternoon and a growing list of errands to run beforehand.

Leaning over to press a small kiss to Carlos’ cheek to wake him up, TK smiles as the other man’s eyes flutter open.

“I have to get up,” TK says. As much as he hates to admit it, the morning is fading away and he needs to start his day.

Carlos groans in response. “No, stay with me,” he says, reaching out and clinging to TK’s arm.

“I have to take a shower,” TK replies, chuckling when Carlos pouts. “I’ll come back, okay?”

“You better.”

Climbing out of bed, TK makes his way over to the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom.

Several minutes later, TK finds himself standing under the steaming showerhead. He goes about his usual routine of washing his hair first.

But, when he goes to reach for the soap next, it slips out of his hand. Bending over to pick it up, that’s when he loses his footing. He extends his arm out to try and catch himself but it gives out with an audible pop when it connects to the floor of the tub, causing the rest of his body to collapse with a thud.

He curses under his breath and tries to shift himself to a seated position but the pain shooting out from his shoulder makes it near impossible for him to move.

He hears light shuffling outside of the door before a soft knock. “TK, you good in there?”

“Uhhh,” he stumbles out, trying desperately to figure out if he can get up on his own and avoid the embarrassment of having Carlos come in. But currently, that looks to be his only option. “No?” he sighs, having it come out more like a question.

The next thing he knows, Carlos is pulling back the shower curtain, taking in his pathetic state. TK can tell he’s biting back a chuckle.

“Please don’t laugh at me,” he pouts.

Carlos just shakes his head and leans over to shut the water off before extending a hand out to TK. It’s lucky Carlos sleeps shirtless and didn’t bother to put one on before coming to TK’s rescue. Seeing the water droplets stick to his bare torso as he helps TK out of the tub is almost enough for him to forget he is in pain.

Once out of the tub, Carlos eases him onto the toilet before handing him a towel. “What happened?”

“I slipped.”

“Yeah, I figured that much out” he chuckles lightly but stops when TK glares at him. “Are you okay though?”

“I think I might have dislocated my shoulder,” he winces as he lightly tries to massage out the discomfort with his other hand. The pain is too much to bear though so he stops and settles for just holding in place, hoping it provides some sort of temporary relief.

“Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

“Nah, I’m fine,” TK dismisses his concern. “You can just pop it back in.”

“TK, I’m not fixing your shoulder. We have to go to the hospital.”

“It’s not that hard to do, Carlos.”

Carlos stares at him, trying not to be surprised by TK’s lack of worry over his own wellbeing. “This isn’t up for debate.”

TK sighs. “Okay, but you’re going to have to help me get dressed,” he says with a smirk.

Carlos just rolls his eyes.


	12. "It's just my allergies"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If it hasn't been taken yet: "It's just my allergies" ... maybe for Carlos? 💕😊" - sent in by sunshinestrand

When Carlos enters the bar, he is immediately met with a wave of hot air. It’s not unusual for the Honky Tonk to be overcrowded on a Saturday night. However, considering Carlos has been fighting off nasty cold since Thursday, the last thing he wants is to be around all these people. But when TK invited him out, he couldn’t find it in him to say “no.”

He quickly scans the bar, searching for his boyfriend. When his eyes land on the attractive man sitting in a booth with the rest of his team, Carlos smiles and makes his way over.

“Hey,” TK stands up and greets him with a small kiss on the cheek. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Sure, just a water.”

TK gives him a puzzled look. “You sure? You know you can drink around me, right?”

“Yeah, I know,” Carlos gives him a reassuring smile. As much as he would enjoy a refreshing beer tonight, his head feels cloudy enough as is. “I’m good.”

TK nods and heads over to order them two waters while Carlos sits down with Marjan, Mateo, and Paul, giving them each a polite “hello.”

When TK returns, he laughs along while Marjan fills him in on the crazy calls they responded to. He tries his best to follow along but he can tell he’s crashing, with the medicine he took before heading out the door taking a toll on his system. 

TK must notice something is up though because after only 15 minutes of conversation he leans over to Carlos, softly asking if he wants to go get some air. 

Carlos nods and follows his lead out the backdoor of the bar and sits next to him on top of the picnic tables.

“Are you feeling okay?” TK asks him, concern clearly present in his voice.

“Yeah, of course. I’m fine.” Carlos tries to laugh it off but TK just gives him a look that screams that he doesn’t buy anything Carlos is saying.

“Do you really think I can’t tell your voice is more nasal than usual?”

Carlos shrugs. “It’s just my allergies.”

“Really?” TK asks. He doesn’t seem too sure but he appears ready to take Carlos at his word.

The thing is, Carlos knows that this is more than just the seasonal allergies he gets. The sore throat and full body ache is enough to tell him that. Fortunately, TK doesn’t seem to pick up on either of those symptoms Carlos is hiding. But at the same time, Carlos knows that if he keeps up the lie, they will just go back in the bar and he will have to muster up the energy to socialize for the next few hours. Energy that is starting to run low. If he wants to leave, this is his chance.

He must have taken too long to answer because TK takes his silence as an answer. “C’mon, let’s just head home for the night.”

“Are you sure? I know you were looking forward to hanging out with your team tonight.” “I was more looking forward to hanging out with you.” He smiles and grabs his hand.


	13. "It's just a strained muscle"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It’s just a strained muscle from carlos who probably got hurt on some call where he was chasing a purp but he hasn’t had the time to check it yet and see how bad it is so he’s just assuming it’s a strained muscle but it’s actually worse" - sent in by anon

Knocking on the door of Carlos’ apartment, TK shuffles uncomfortably. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure if he made the right call coming over. They were supposed to meet for dinner tonight but Carlos had canceled on him, but citing no reason as to why. 

It wasn’t that TK didn’t trust him. He knew Carlos wouldn’t do anything that would hurt him. But he also just got a bad vibe from his boyfriends text so he decided to come over and check on him to put his mind at ease.

He hears the soft clicking of the lock before Carlos opens the door, a look of confusion crossing his face. “I thought I texted you?”

“Yeah you did,” TK eyes him cautiously. “Is everything okay?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know. You didn’t give a reason why you were canceling.”

Carlos sighs and opens the door a little more, allowing TK to enter the home. As Carlos moves though, TK notices the other man is favoring his left side, awkwardly leaning against the door.

“What happened?” TK asks, slowly putting together the pieces of what Carlos isn’t telling him.

“It’s nothing. I got hurt on a call today but it’s just a strained muscle.”

TK can tell Carlos is trying to reassure himself as much as he is TK. It’s something they both do; brush off concern when they are hurt even though the little voice in the back of their head screams at them otherwise. 

And tonight, with Carlos’ face clearly laced with pain as he tries not to put any weight on his right leg, TK can figure out all he needs to know about the current situation.

“Why don’t we go sit down?” he suggests, figuring the first step is to get Carlos off his feet.

Carlos nods and TK helps him over to the couch before pulling his leg up to get a look at it. Gently rolling up his pant leg, TK can tell his knee is swollen well beyond the normal size. When he lightly touches it, he feels Carlos recoil and wince. 

“You really think this is just a strained muscle?”

Carlos shrugs. “I guess I didn’t want to have to face the probability that it could be worse.”

“We need to get you to a doctor.”

Carlos nods, knowing better than to argue with TK on the matter. TK helps him up from the couch and slips his arm around his shoulder.

“What would you have done if I didn’t show up tonight?” he can’t help but ask.

Carlos smirks. “Yeah, in what world would that have happened?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys! That's it for the prompts!! Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to leave kudos, comments, and/or send in a request! You guys are so nice and I had so much fun doing this.

**Author's Note:**

> Talk to me about whump on [Tumblr](officerrxyes.tumblr.com)  
> 


End file.
